Most recently, Esparza was working in Mexico City as the associate curator at Museo Jumex. There, he co-curated exhibitions that focused on the work of Latin American artists. Previously, Esparza was a curatorial collaborator at New York’s Storefront for Art and Architecture and a research fellow at the New Museum. In addition to curating, he has covered “Latin American art practices” for Domus. Esparza has a Master in Critical, Curatorial, and Conceptual Practices in Architecture from Columbia University in 2012.

In a statement, MCA chief curator Michael Darling praised Esparza and his qualifications: “‘When I met José over a year ago on a tour at the Museo Jumex, I was immediately impressed by his poise and intellect. With our longstanding interest in art from Latin America, we now have in José an articulate advocate for presenting the best work being made in that region. Mexico City is one of the most exciting cities in the world for contemporary art, and José’s deep knowledge of that scene will immediately enrich our dialogues here at the MCA. José is also active in architecture and design circles and that knowledge, alongside his expertise in contemporary art, will find a natural fit here at the MCA where we regularly venture out into parallel fields of activity. I think he will immediately become a great asset to our community.'”